Just wanted to pass on that I just (yesterday) received my blu-ray copy of Hayabusa and watched it. At first blush I would have to say I was impressed with the film, and that it is a good movie. It was engaging for even my less UMSF enthusiastic wifey-poo, and I would say for the time allotted was a good encapsulation of Hayabusa's journey and trials. It was not dry or boring and was (with my American bias / low expectations for films with a technical heart) well acted.

I think you are talking about one of the three films made on Hayabusa's journey. A few weeks ago I also went to see one of them. Whether it was true or not, two things impressed me a lot.

1. Prof Kawaguchi was apparently always scornful of those people around him in the operating team who went to shrines and temples for a safe journey for Hayabusa. He himself, in the end, though, went to a shirne when Hayabusa went missing...

2. When he came out of this shrine he accidentally came across (in the film I watched) a guy who happned to have lathed a part for hayabusa. To him he confided that his dentist had told him that his molar teeth had been so much depleted upon grinding on them during times of difficulties.

The movie I watched was titled はやぶさ / Hayabusa. I look forward to the others eventual release to Blu-Ray.

-- Pertinax

Thank you! I have got to tell my brother (a Japanese exporter of local fish to the Japanese market) in Seattle that Hayabusa story is now available at long last on BR. He is also very much interested in Hayabusa's journey.

Yes, the film I watched is the second in the series of three in timeline. Yours is the first.

Pertinax, if you are watching it on BluRay, and it is called simply 'はやぶさ ', then it is most likely the version released last year, that just recently came out on BR. Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi.

If Pandaneko saw it recently in a theater, that is probably the latest one, "はやぶさ 遥かなる帰還" starring Ken Watanabe as Kawaguchi and directed by Tomoyuki Takimoto. As far as I know, that one is not yet available on disk. That is the one I am waiting for.

Pertinax, if you are watching it on BluRay, and it is called simply 'はやぶさ ', then it is most likely the version released last year, that just recently came out on BR. Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi.

If Pandaneko saw it recently in a theater, that is probably the latest one, "はやぶさ 遥かなる帰還" starring Ken Watanabe as Kawaguchi and directed by Tomoyuki Takimoto. As far as I know, that one is not yet available on disk. That is the one I am waiting for.

JAXA cooperated with both productions I think.

That is right. The one I saw was with Ken Watanabe as Prof Kawaguchi. Very interstingly, I now hardly remember its technical scenes and details. The advance ad in my area was that V something F? filming technology was used to enhance its visual presentations. However, I hardly remember what they were like. My guess is that I had seen all those things on the Net and they in the end did not leave much impression on me, I think... For the first time viewers the whole thing may appear different.

I was most impressed by the human side of the story.

By the way, JAXA is apparently now inviting private donations (minimum unit is 1,000 JPY, about 10 US dollars) for a lot of their projects, according to the Yomiuri newspaper here (reported today, 4 April 2012). I might upload my translation soon, because that is exactly what I have been thinking about. I think it is good because it will make me feel I am closely involved!

That is right. The one I saw was with Ken Watanabe as Prof Kawaguchi. Very interstingly, I now hardly remember its technical scenes and details. The advance ad in my area was that V something F? filming technology was used to enhance its visual presentations. However, I hardly remember what they were like. My guess is that I had seen all those things on the Net and they in the end did not leave much impression on me, I think... For the first time viewers the whole thing may appear different.

For those that fly United Airlines Business/First, this movie is now available to watch on longer international flights. I watched it on a flight from Newark to Barcelona, and enjoyed it immensely. Hayabusa and Wall-e are the only robots that have made me misty-eyed in movies...so far.

I see an exciting special edition blu-ray version that looks to include "an illustration collection & stand, thermal control polyimide film used in Hayabusa, and a "Hayabusa 2" paper craft"(http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=BSTD-3535), but only with Japanese subtitles

There does look to be an English subtitle version (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=FXXA-54530) which included a bonus features DVD (Reg2) and "sugoroku, description booklet, and paper craft".

Anyone know anything further about the "thermal control polyimide film used in Hayabusa" in the first link (product ID BSTD-3535)?

The disc you refer to with English subtitles is the earlier version from last year, not the Toei version with Watanabe. I am composing an email to Toei to ask if the Amazon listing is correct regarding subtitles.

The disc you refer to with English subtitles is the earlier version from last year, not the Toei version with Watanabe.

You are correct. That is an embarrassingly silly mistake on my part!

I look forward to hearing what you learn, though all the listings for product for BSTD-3535 and BSTD-3534 (and their DVD counterparts) seem to point to only Japanese subtitles. I hope they have an English subtitle version in the works.

My friend in Japan informs me that most Japanese DVDs do *not* have English subtitles, so we may be out of luck on this one (the one with Ken Watanabe). No response yet to my email to Toei headquarters.

Thank you for that info. That has been my impression after the last couple of weeks searching (that discs were assumed to be Japanese ST only unless otherwise stated). I can understand that for the vast majority of 'home market' movies. However, while rightly a source of tremendous national pride within Japan, Hayabusa's story was also a source of great honor for Japan across the world. As such, it seems to me to be an amazing oversight on Toei's behalf not to take the trivial (compared with the remainder of the expense in the production of the film and discs) expense of translating this celebratory film and providing subtitles in the worlds lingua franca. I would think that purely from a marketing perspective providing English subtitles, even though counter to the norm, would be a given. Oh well.

I am thankful for the film released earlier this year (http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=FXXA-54530) with English subtitles.

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